Fastball - UIL bi-district softball: Paschal edges Cleburne and more, plus area scores

Welcome to the high school softball edition of the Fastball, a Star-Telegram series highlighting Fort Worth-area teams. The UIL bi-district round is in full swing so check out coverage and results.

Paschal holds off Cleburne for first bi-district title in 10 seasons

Fort Worth Paschal pitcher Angela Cisneros threw a gem at Cleburne, walking away with a 2-1 win in a Class 5A Division I bi-district single-game series on Friday at Kennedale High School.

Paschal (15-15) moves on to the area round and will face the winner of the Aledo-North Richland Hills Birdville series that is tied 1-1 with a Game 3 on Saturday. The Panthers last bi-district win came in 2016 against Abilene.

Cisneros tossed a complete game giving up just 2 hits and 1 unearned run in 7 innings while striking out 3 and walking 1 for the Panthers. Paschal scored a run in the fourth inning on two controversial calls, both involving Victoria Hultgren.

Hultgren singled to lead off the fourth then was called out stealing second base, but the call was overruled by another umpire allowing Hultgren to remain on base. A perfect bunt by Margaret Bozarth moved Hultgren to third and a ground ball to short by Melanie Patino scored Hultgren who looked to be clearly out on a force play at the plate.

Paschal scored again in the fifth, but this time there was no controversy. A 1-out infield single to short by Julia Padilla was followed by a passed ball and a run-scoring single by Hultgren for a 2-0 lead.

Cleburne (16-19) got its only run in the top of the seventh when Payton Slovak led off with a fly ball to right-center field that created a collision between the center fielder and right fielder allowing Slovak to circle the bases. Cisneros got a ground out, fly out and line out, however, to end the game.

Dayana Mitchell was solid on the mound for the Yellow Jackets going 6 innings, scattering 7 hits, allowing 2 earned runs with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Brewer sweeps Colleyville Heritage

Fort Worth Brewer had a hotter start in Game 2 of its Class 5A Division 2 bi-district series, sparked by a first-inning home run from Avery Welch as the Bears eliminated Colleyville Heritage 12-2 in 6 innings on Thursday at Euless Trinity High School.

Brewer (19-8), which rallied back to beat the Panthers 7-4 in extra innings during Game 1 on Wednesday, advance to the area round to take on Burleson (23-7), which swept Fort Worth South Hills (14-13-2).

Welch drilled the first pitch she saw to deep left field for her ninth home run of the season that gave Brewer a 1-0 lead in Game 2. After Lexi Ladd doubled for Collyeville Heritage (14-18-1) in the second, Bella Kappus drove her in to tie the game with a triple to center.

Brewer tacked on 5 runs in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI double from Sammi Aguirre and an RBI single from Ava Pena. Then with the bases loaded, Welch hit a high fly ball that dropped in shallow left that cleared the bases to extend the Brewer lead to 6-1.

Cozy Tyson, the Game 1 winner for Brewer, hit a solo home run to highlight a 4-run fifth inning as the Bears went ahead 11-2.

In Game 1, Lilly Meller hit the go-ahead 2-run single in the top of the eighth as Brewer went on to score 4 in the inning to pull away from the Panthers.

Strong Martin pitching ousts Richardson

Alexa LaRoche allowed 1 earned run and scattered 3 hits across 7 innings to lead Arlington Martin past Richardson 8-3 in their Class 6A Division I bi-district one-game playoff on Friday night at Hurst L.D. Bell High School.

Martin (21-10-1) advances to the area round to play the winner between Hebron and Allen.

Trailing 3-0 in the third, Richardson (14-17-1) tied the game in the bottom of the inning off a Martin throwing error and a 2-run single from Amanda Rich.

But Jaclyn Blakney drove in the go-ahead run for the Warriors in the top of the fourth and that’s all Martin needed. Martin added 3 runs in the fifth and 1 in the sixth to pull away from the Eagles.

LaRoche finished the game with 13 strikeouts.

Keller completes sweep of Boswell, on to area

Avery Lawton blasted a grand slam in the first inning and drove in 5 runs to lead Keller to a 9-3 win over Fort Worth Boswell in Game 2 of their Class 6A Division 2 bi-district series on Thursday night at Saginaw High School.

Keller (24-10-1) completed the sweep over Boswell (22-6-1) to advance to the area round to play Wolfforth Frenship or El Paso Socorro. The Indians scored 7 times in the top of the fifth during its 8-5 win in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Addy Watson got the Pioneers going with a 2-run home run in the top of the first inning only to see its lead vanish a half inning later fueled by Lawton’s grand slam to deep left field.

Keller’s lead extended to 6-2 in the fourth on a lead-off home run from Mackenna Jackson. Lawton and Calliee Cribbs picked up RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth for the Indians.

Joshua rolls past North Side

Isabella Lambert threw a no-hitter and struck out 10 batters to lead Joshua past Fort Worth North Side 14-0 in 5 innings in their Class 5A Division II bi-district single-game series playoff on Thursday night at Joshua High School.

Lambert came close to a perfect game, but hit a North Side batter in the fourth inning. She still faced the minimum of 15 batters as catcher Bella Brown threw out the runner trying to steal second.

Leading only 3-0 after 3, the Owls brought up 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs, 8 with 2 outs, in the bottom fourth to activate the mercy rule.

Landrie Durham and Kinlee Alexander drove in 3 runs on back-to-back at-bats and Joshua led 6-0. After the second out, Leilanie Sam and Julia Stewart hit RBI singles and Taylor Proffitt belted a 2-run home run to left field to make it 10-0.

Click here to see the Fort Worth-area UIL bi-district softball scores